Author's Note: This piece is a sequel to the previous chapter, 'The Elephant Tail Travail.' AJCrane requested something with Dick coming across Elinor again years later and showing her to Alfred, and my muse went to town. So, thanks to AJCrane for setting that plotbunny running, and happy reading!

"One moment," Alfred called as he made his way carefully across the foyer to the front door. No use rushing, he counseled himself. It won't do anyone a bit of good if I fall and break a hip or something else equally geriatric. Damned age, anyway…

The cons of being nearly three-quarters of a century old fled from the front of his mind when he opened the entrance to reveal two of his very favorite people. "Master Dick!" he exclaimed, not bothering to hide his pleasure at seeing the younger man. "And I see you've brought dear Master John, as well," his smile broadened as the two-year-old's face swiveled towards him.

"Owfred!" the child squealed, immediately wriggling and reaching out towards the butler.

"Gee, I see I'm chopped liver when you're around," Dick joked, setting his son and a heavy diaper bag down inside. "…Hurry up and turn three so you can go back to loving me, would you, Johnny?"

Ignoring him entirely, the boy scampered over and wrapped his arms around the Englishman's knee. "Owfred," he repeated as he stared upwards, his request to be held shining in the bright blue eyes he'd inherited from his father. "Up!"

"What do you say, young sir?" Alfred, focused as always on grooming the next generation of gentlemen, arched an eyebrow expectantly.

"…Please up?"

"Oh, I imagine that's close enough to the proper order," he gave in, lifting the child with a slight wince as his back twinged. "And you as well," he gestured to Dick with his free hand. "It's been six weeks, at least."

"Sorry. It's been crazy," he explained as he stepped into a tight hug. "I'm sure Bruce told you about at least some of the off-world shenanigans the JLA's been dealing with. Throw in an underage prostitution club bust here in town that netted a couple religious leaders as well as our illustrious Senator Wrenshaw," he rolled his eyes, "and you'll see why getting across town's been kind of difficult since New Years."

"Well, you're here now. Let me take your coat," he released him finally. "…You are staying a while, aren't you?"

"Of course. If you want to get Johnny out of his jacket, I'll hang them up. Saves you the walking. Speaking of, sorry about the doorbell; my hands were full, and I thought it would be a better surprise this way."

"Not at all, Master Dick. I wasn't doing anything I can't return to later, just polishing the silver. As riveting as that particular chore is," he spoke now to the boy whose jacket he was expertly stripping off, "I much prefer answering the door to find delightful visitors such as yourselves." He poked the toddler gently in the tummy, drawing an adoring giggle, before he returned his gaze to the elder Grayson. "You came straight from work, I see?" he inquired as police captain's bars glimmered in the light of the chandelier.

"I didn't want us to be late for tea," Dick grinned, rolling up the sleeves of his uniform shirt.

"It is about that time, isn't it? Very good," the butler said, pleased. "…Would you like a cookie, Master John?" he bounced the little one in his arms.

"Chip cookie!"

"A chocolate chip cookie? I believe I can scrounge one of those up for you." As if I'd ever allow this house to be devoid of them, he chuckled to himself as they moved into the kitchen. "Go on with the pair of you," he passed the child back reluctantly at the door, "and I'll get the tea."

"I don't mind-"

"Hush, young sir," Alfred waved him off good-naturedly. "We go through this every time you come to see me, and it never changes. So long as I'm capable, I'll not have you serving yourself in this house. That is my job, as it always has been. Although I do appreciate the offer," he added graciously, "every time it is made."

"…You know, at this rate I'm never going to be able to pay you back for the eight billion or so cups you've brought me over the years," the younger man commented once he was seated and busy jostling what an unknowing observer could be forgiven for thinking was a miniature clone of himself on his knee.

"Ah, well…allow me to serve you eight billions or so cups more, Master Dick, and I'll consider it even." They exchanged a warm glance, then went about their respective work in silence for several minutes, the butler preparing a light repast while the former Boy Wonder set his child down on the floor and pulled several toys out of his supply tote. "…You might have just fetched down some of the myriad objects we keep upstairs for him, you know," the Englishman commented as he approached with a loaded tray in his hands.

"Sure, but the problem with that room is that it's practically impossible to get the kid out of it once you let him in," Dick replied. Each of the former Robins still had their reserved spaces in the upper hall, regardless of when they'd last been occupied, and when John – thus far the only progeny of the four – had come along Bruce had immediately ordered that he be given his own area in the manor, too. The newborn's furniture hadn't even been in place before the billionaire had begun filling the shelves and corners with playthings and soft stuffed animals, ordering double of everything and sending the copies along to Dick and Barbara's apartment until his son had begged him to stop. "It's bad enough at home…did you know that Bruce had a huge box of stuff delivered last month, then told me it was gifts for Presidents' Day? I about hung up on him. Who buys gifts for Presidents' Day? Babs was ticked," he winced."Don't get me wrong, we love all the attention he gives him, but we don't have room for all of that. Especially with the new one on the way, now."

Alfred's hands twitched at the last sentence, splattering a bit of pale liquid onto the saucer. "I beg pardon?" he asked for a repeat, expression verging on excitement as he set down the pot.

"Shi…crap," he glanced down at John, who was playing contentedly nearby with a pile of blocks. "Good, he didn't hear. Anyway…look, we haven't told anyone yet, not even Bruce, so don't say anything, but…we're having another baby."

"That's marvelous, Master Dick!" The same uncharacteristically broad grin that had stretched across his lips when he'd heard news of their first pregnancy appeared again. "When is it due?"

"July."

"Ah…" He handed over a cup of a delicate green blend, indicated a plate of fresh madeleines, and leaned back in his chair with a satisfied look. "A summer baby. I suppose it's too early to know if Master John will be getting a brother or a sister?"

"Yeah. Babs wants a girl. I don't mind either way," he shrugged. "We're going to have to move someplace bigger. Three bedrooms seemed like a lot of space when we didn't have kids, but with the shopping sprees Bruce goes on now, let alone what he'll do when he's got two to splurge on…" he trailed off. "Tim's been trying to get me to buy the house up the road. It's not like he's using it, after all, and honestly…well, Babs and I have been talking, and I think we're going to do it. It's ten minutes away from here, it's big enough inside and out that we could have eight kids and not run out of space – not that we're ever having that many, two or three is plenty in my book – and when I broached the topic of building an apartment over the garage Tim seemed…interested. He's been staying with us most weekends," he disclosed, stirring his tea. "And working late on weeknights, I guess. They're trying marital counseling, but…it just isn't doing any good, he says."

"I hate to see any marriage fail," Alfred sighed at the less-than-great news about the third Robin. "And especially Master Tim's, but…perhaps it's better this way, in the long run. I, for one, am just glad that he sees fit to turn to you with his problems. Heaven knows he doesn't speak to anyone else about them." They went still for a moment, each thinking his own thoughts. "…It would be good, I think, were he to live with you and Miss Barbara for a while. Separate to an extent, of course, but…near. He's always looked up to you, and you'll need an extra pair of hands around when the new little one arrives. Although," a soft smile graced his lips, "if you do take his father's old residence, you'll certainly have plenty of help close by."

"…I think he's afraid of losing it in a divorce," Dick disclosed. "He told me once a long time ago that he'd never sell that place, even if no one was living in it. It caught me off guard when he brought it up, but…anyway."

"Daddy!" A demanding voice grabbed the attention of both men.

"What's up, Johnny-boy?" Dick smiled down at his son.

"…Cookie?"

"You want your cookie now, huh? Well, you know the rule; you have to sit up here to eat it, right? So who are you sitting with?"

"Cookie!" the toddler cheered, clambering over to Alfred. "Please up?"

"You're going to spoil me with all of this attention, Master John," the butler opined as he lifted the child onto his leg. Breaking up the dessert into pieces that would be more manageable for little fingers, he placed it on a plate in front of the eager boy. "There. It's all yours." They watched him eat for a second, both envying the intense concentration that his young, undistracted mind was able to devote to enjoying the sweet. "…Have you had any word about Master Damian, by chance?"

"Still hunting his mother, the last we knew. I wish he'd give that up. Even if he manages to corner her, she'll never tell him the truth." The youngest Robin's decision to confront Talia al-Ghul with the questions he'd carried in his heart for a decade had been strenuously disapproved of by Bruce, who had ended the discussion by storming off to his study and refusing to speak about it again. Damian had gone on his search in the end with only Dick's cautious, concerned blessing, and little had been heard from him in the eighteen months since his departure. "I know why he has to at least try, Alfred, I can't imagine what it must be like to feel that your mother never saw you as anything but a tool, but…it scares me. Every night, it scares me. Part of me wants him to find her because I know that the adult him needs to see her for the snake that she is, but the rest of me knows what she'll do to him if he gets close and makes even the tiniest misstep. I should have insisted on going with him," he lamented, shaking his head and drawing his eyebrows downward in self-blame.

"You had other duties, Master Dick," Alfred said firmly, leaning over to grasp his wrist and nodding towards the toddler who was making quick work of his treat. "Even if that had not been the case…I think the pair of you going after her would have outright killed Master Wayne. The same fears plague him as do you, you know, even if he doesn't show them."

"I know," he sighed. "But that just makes it worse. I mean…Johnny was barely one when he left, and now there's going to be the new baby, and everything with Tim that's going on, and…so much will have changed by the time he comes back. If…if he comes back," he shivered slightly.

"…Yes, I know," the butler grimaced along with him.

"All done!"

"…My goodness, you polished that right off, didn't you?" the Englishman pasted false shock over his gratitude for the distraction. "Here, take your napkin and wipe your hands and face," he instructed. "…You've gotten better at cleaning up," came a few moments later as he reclaimed the linen and swiped at the spots that the boy had missed on his own.

"Daddy, no-no!"

"…You want her now? Okay, but you can't have her at the table. You have to be down here with your toys." When the child had slithered back to the floor, Dick reached into the diaper bag. "…You'll appreciate this," he smirked across the table. "One second, J.B., let's show Alfred what you've got, okay?" With that, he plunked a much-loved elephant plushie down beside his teacup. "Look familiar?"

The butler froze, blinking at the old toy. "Miss Elinor," he whispered fondly, reaching out to pat her on the head. "I wondered how she was faring now that she has a new friend to play with."

"Owfred?"

"…Hmm?" He turned to find the two-year-old looking perplexedly between him and the stuffed creature. "My sincerest apologies, Master John," he smiled, then handed the him the object he so clearly desired. "I won't keep her from you any longer. Thank you," he directed at Dick. "You were so attached to her, you know, that there were moments when I almost felt that she was a fourth inhabitant of this house. It's lovely to see her still with you."

"If you think I was bad, wait until I try to put her back in the bag when it's time to go. You'll love this," he shifted, leaning forward as he launched into a tale. "Babs had her annual librarian convention thing down in Florida a couple weeks ago, right, and Johnny and I went with her this time since it was just a long weekend. Well, I was looking for things to take him to do while she was in her seminars, and found out that there was a pretty decently reviewed zoo nearby. He'd never been to one before and she didn't want to miss it, so we took him together." He grinned. "We stood in front of the elephant paddock for, oh, an hour or so. He would not leave; he cried every time we tried to keep moving. I was perfectly happy with that, but Babs looked bored out of her skull after the first ten minutes."

Alfred chuckled. "I wonder where the younger sir could possibly have gotten that particular obsession from?"

"I know, right? Heh," he snorted. "No wonder she wants a girl this time. Anyway, when we got home I went down to storage and dug through just about every box in the place until I found Elinor. He's slept with her ever since. And what's great – actually, hold on. Johnny," he called his son's name. "Tell Alfred what you saw at the zoo when we were in Florida. Remember, our trip with mommy? What did we go see together?"

The pointed little face pinched for a moment in thought, then burst into a grin as he held up the creature who had been tucked against his side. "No-no!" he announced.

"He can't say 'Elinor' yet, so he calls her 'no-no,'" Dick explained. "Apparently somewhere along the line he decided that all elephants are called that. He about made me deaf, the way he screamed about 'no-nos' when some nature program about the savanna came on TV the other day. I'm probably lucky the neighbors didn't think he was trying to get me to stop doing something bad to him call the cops on me. Because that's what I need on top of everything else, is CPS back in my life."

"No-no!" the younger Grayson exclaimed, grabbing the animal in question by her trunk and tail and beginning to walk her in a semi-circle. "No-no, no-no, no-n-" Suddenly the bright, frayed rope marking Elinor's back end separated from her body, laying limp in his hand as the boy stared in shock and horror. "No-noooo!" he wailed, bursting into tears.

Both adults were beside him in an instant, their tea completely forgotten. "It's okay," Dick soothed, pulling his offspring close as the butler gently took the toy's two halves from small, clutching hands. "Don't cry, mo shávo, it's okay..." He rocked him as he crooned, the memory of when it had been his fingers the elephant's tail had come off in flooding back. "You didn't break her, it's all right, Johnny-boy…"

"I suppose twenty and some years is a rather impressive lifespan for the stitches I put in the last time," Alfred observed quietly. "It's all right," he, too, tried to calm the child. "You've only popped the seam, just as someone else in this very room once did."

"You hear that, Johnny? Alfred can fix it, can't you, Alfred?"

"Oh, my, yes. It won't take me long at all, and we'll have Miss Elinor right as rain again," he promised, patting the sobbing toddler's knee before rising creakily from where he'd knelt on the floor. "If you'll excuse me for just a moment, sirs, I'll go and fetch my sewing things, and we'll get her right into surgery."

"Do you want me to-?"

"No, Master Dick, you just attend to Master John. I shan't be long."

Both of the younger males had re-seated themselves at the table when he returned, the boy with fat tears still running down his cheeks occasionally despite the half-eaten madeleine he held in one hand. "Here we go," his father said cheerfully as the Englishman removed the tea tray and then sat, pulling the injured elephant close. "You watch, Alfred's going to make Elinor all better."

"All better?" was sniffled back.

"All better," he confirmed. "Watch! You don't want to miss it, especially since I'll be a grandfather myself before this happens again, with the way he sews."

"…There we are," the butler nodded with satisfaction a short time later. He made a final knot, clipped the thread, and then presented the repaired creature to her owners. "Sewn up tight and ready for another twenty years of service, I daresay."

"Look," Dick spun her around to point out the nearly invisible stitches securing the tail where it belonged. "I told you he'd fix her right up."

"…Scar," John said, tracing the faint indents in the fabric with one finger. Frowning slightly, his hand moved down to the network of lines, some old, many new, that marked the strong arms wrapped around his waist. "…Scar," he repeated.

"Yeah, J.B.," the man nodded. "They kind of look the same, huh?"

"…Owfred fix you?" he craned his neck to meet the gaze that matched his own.

"You bet he did. Just like he did Elinor."

The boy stared at him for another moment, then rested his head against his father's chest. After a second of that he dropped lightly to the floor and padded over to Alfred, who had watched the entire exchange a bit sadly from his side of the table. "Owfred?"

"Yes, young sir?"

His mouth worked as if he was trying to figure out how to say something important. Finally he held his arms skyward. "Please up?" When he'd been obliged and was kneeling on the butler's legs, he gave him a serious look. "You fix no-no," he observed, cocking his head to one side. "…You fix daddy?"

"…Yes, Master John. Many times," he swallowed hard. Far, far too many times.

"Oh." He leaned forward then, plastering himself over the Englishman in a hug. "…Thank you."

Before either adult had a chance to recover from what had just occurred, the child had pulled away and returned to the blocks he'd abandoned earlier, stacking them carefully one on top of the other and seemingly unconcerned by the flurry of emotions he'd stirred up. "…Well," Dick said finally, his voice thick. "That was, uh, unexpected." …Has he said 'thank you' before now? he wondered a bit wildly. I know Babs has been working on it with him, but I don't think he'd actually used it right yet. She's going to be tickled pink…if I tell her, he added. I almost feel like maybe this is something that belongs to just Alfred and I...

"Oh, I don't know," the older man replied slowly, his eyes never leaving the tousled head that was bent intently over its building project. "We really ought to have been expecting such brilliant little insights to begin falling out of his mouth sooner or later."

"…Huh?"

You did the same thing all the time, my boy. That same unusual precociousness that Master John just exhibited was one of the very first things that caught my attention when you arrived here. I've not forgotten, he thought fiercely, despite my years. Those initial meetings between us, I think, are memories that I will carry to the end of my days. I hope they are, at least. But what just occurred shall rank right up there with them. He is so very much as you must have been at his age, long before I knew you, and I wish I could have-…well. Wishing for the impossible never did anyone any good, now did it? "It's as they say, Master Dick," he answered with a secret smile after several beats had passed. "…Like father, like son."

Author's Note: From what I understand, mo shávo is Romany for 'my son.'